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No inquest into killer Williams' death

Melissa Iaria

In life, he called himself the premier and boasted of involvement in at least 15 murders.

In death, Carl Williams' brutal jail slaying became one of the most investigated incidents in Victorian history.

Williams' fatal 2010 jail bashing at the hands of a fellow inmate prompted so many inquiries, State Coroner Judge Ian Gray decided another wasn't needed.

The Williams family, including his father George and ex-wife Roberta, had pressed for an inquest.

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"Mr Williams' death is one of the most investigated incidents in Victoria's history," Judge Gray said on Wednesday.

Judge Gray said Williams' death was comprehensively investigated by police, the police watchdog, reviews of correction services, a police inquest brief and reports by the ombudsman, whose inquiry found the prison system failed in its duty to protect the high-profile prisoner.

There was also no suggestion of a systemic defect warranting further probing, and which hadn't already been investigated, he said.

Further, almost all of the ombudsman's recommendations were already in place.

As drug trafficker and killer, Williams may have been the puppet master deciding who got to live and die.

But in the lock-up at the maximum security Barwon Prison, the 39-year-old killer dubbed "Fat Boy" by police paid the ultimate price for his loose lips.

When news spread Williams was helping police, his fellow inmate Matthew Johnson bashed him with the stem of an exercise bike for breaching the underworld code.

Williams was the highest profile prisoner in the jail, where he was serving a minimum 38 years for murdering Jason and Lewis Moran, Mark Mallia and Michael Marshall.

Yet he lay fatally injured for 27 minutes before authorities knew.

His family wanted answers about why it took jail authorities so long to discover Williams was attacked and why no precautions were in place to protect him after authorities received information his life was in danger.

They also wanted to know how Johnson had a copy of Williams' statement implicating former drug squad detective Paul Dale in the murder of a police informer, two days before Williams was killed.

Williams' father and daughter have already launched legal action against the Victorian government in the Supreme Court, claiming it failed to ensure his safety in prison.

The coroner ruled last November an inquest would be held into the related and unsolved double murder of Melbourne couple Terence and Christine Hodson.

The Hodsons were murdered in 2004, shortly before Mr Hodson was due to testify against Mr Dale.

Williams had given police information implicating Mr Dale in the murders, but resulting charges against Mr Dale and another man were dropped following Williams' death.